High Levels Of Radiation In Wells No Need To Panic, Researchers Say

February 24, 1986|By United Press International

TALLAHASSEE — Polonium has raised radiation levels in some shallow wells in the west up to 23 times the state standard, but there is no reason for panic, according to state and federal officials examining the problem in parts of southwest Florida.

Radioactivity is nothing new in phosphate-rich areas, which naturally contain uranium and byproducts of uranium decay. But researchers are perplexed as to how extensive and how harmful polonium exposure might be -- and how to get rid of it.

Of 32 wells tested this month in Hillsborough, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee and Polk counties by researchers Bill Burnett and Jim Cowart, 12 wells -- or 37 percent -- show high levels of radiation and polonium.

Polonium can damage or kill cells when ingested over long periods and can cause liver and urinary cancer, said Rick Cothern, a health physicist with the Environmental Protection Agency.

If 100,000 people were to daily drink 2 liters of water containing five units per liter of polonium, the EPA says four to 20 people might contract cancer.

But neither the EPA nor the state plans any action until Cowart's and Burnett's study is completed in about 11 months. They hope to test up to 100 wells in Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and possibly Glades counties, in addition to more research in counties where tests have been done.

''There is some concern,'' Cothern said. ''But we're not panicking around here.''

According to Burnett, ''The important thing to do is find out what the extent is. But the source is the main thing we're interested in. It's definitely not clear to us at all.''

Cowart said results of the tests are preliminary, and polonium levels have varied greatly even in the same well.

''Every time you mention radioactivity, no matter what level, people think they're going to glow in the dark,'' he said.

The Floridan Aquifer, underground source for most of the state's water, is not in danger of polonium contamination, said Sam Upchurch of the University of South Florida whose tests of deep wells in Polk and Lee counties turned up the element.

He said the groundwater moves slowly, and polonium, which loses half its strength in 138 days, should dissipate before the water reaches consumers' taps. Burnett said evidence shows polonium atoms attach to sand, clay and well walls, giving scientists hope that filtering water through common purifiers may reduce radiation.